How often have you used the function `range()` in Python? It's often something you use early on as you learn about the `for` loop…
But… did you know it's not really a function, after all?!
Have a look at the docs or use `help()` to check…
`range` is a class. And therefore `range()` creates an instance of the class as is always the case with a class.
So, my question is: "Does it matter?"
Technically, it does. A function is not a class – they're different things
But in practice, what matters is how it behaves and not what it is!
This is a key principle in Python when thinking about data types. What they do and how they behave matters more that what they are!
So you can use `range()` like a function, even though it's not!
@s_gruppetta Is this really so different to other languages. The instance created by range() is simply enumerable (including iterators). This concept exists in lot of languages.
@CodingKurzgeschichten I wasn't claiming in any way this is unique to Python. The point is that we use range as function – and that's the way it was intended – but it's not. It's a class
@CodingKurzgeschichten This fits well within the concept of duck-typing which is true for some language but not others.
What matters here is not what it is but how it behaves, and this is a broader mindset in languages such as Python